Former county commissioner announces state senate run

Former Clackamas County Commissioner Jamie Damon announced Tuesday that she will be running for the Oregon State Senate District 20 seat currently held by Alan Olsen (R-Canby).

Damon has been a public policy mediator and facilitator for more than 25 years. She said she was motivated to run for the Oregon Legislature because of a lack of leadership on the priorities of rural Clackamas County voters.

We deserve leaders who can work across the aisle to get things done for Oregonians, Damon said. As the state senator from the heart of Clackamas County, I will work tirelessly to bring people together and find solutions for our families, farms and forests.

In 2011, Damon was appointed to the Clackamas County Board of Commissioners, where she served until 2013. Damon lost the 2012 election to County Commissioner Tootie Smith, who is running against Congressman Kurt Schrader. As a commissioner, Damon helped manage timber harvests on county lands to fund crucial programs, helped provide funding for vital senior services and supported the creation of the new Family Justice Center, which provides victims of domestic violence legal, counseling and other services to help them recover.

Damon cited supporting local businesses as her top priority.

Our communities need family wage jobs and employers need leaders who support investments in infrastructure and workforce development, she said. Clackamas County deserves a strong champion in the State Capitol. For the success of our communities, we need our jobs, our schools and our priorities to be given the attention they deserve.

Damon is already gathering support from around the county.

Jamie really has what it takes to deliver results for our community in the Legislature, said Becky Arnold, former mayor of Estacada. Jamie has a unique ability to bring people together, and that's exactly what we need for our rural Clackamas County communities.

Damon currently is the regional solutions coordinator for Governor John Kitzhaber but is leaving that post in July.

Senate District 20 includes the cities of Oregon City, Gladstone, Canby, Estacada, Damascus, Barlow and Johnson City, as well as the communities of Beavercreek, Eagle Creek, Jennings Lodge, Charbonneau, Mulino, Boring and Redland.

Damon has lived in Oregon for more than 35 years and in rural Clackamas County for nearly 20 years. She lives in Eagle Creek with her husband and two daughters.